1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Console Drive that enables various types of storage devices to be easily swapped in and out of a drive bay of any desktop computers, Kiosk or computing equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
A standard desktop computer typically provides one or more compartments (also called drive bays) for the installation of 5xc2xc inch or 3xc2xd inch storage devices such as CD ROM, DVD ROM or CDRW drive, hard drive, ZIP, SuperDisk etc. Because of space limitation, many desktop computers, Kiosk or computing equipment have only one to two drive bays, thus limiting the number of devices that can be installed. Once a storage device is installed into the drive compartment or drive bay, replacement or upgrade of the storage device requires careful disassembling and reassembling of the computer by a trained technician.
This invention provides a design of a Console Drive that enables various types of storage devices to be easily swapped in and out of a drive bay of any desktop computers, Kiosk or computing equipment. Storage devices can be changed on the fly for upgrade, repair or for different applications, without disassembling or reassembling of the equipment enclosure. In addition, the storage device enclosure of the Console Drive also enables any storage device to be used as an external storage device once it is removed from the drive bay. This external storage device can be connected to any computers or equipment via USB, Firewire, PCMCIA or any IO interface (reference to Universal Storage Interface Bus patent). So the Console Drive design adds great flexibility to the connectivity between the storage devices and any computer equipment. Console Drive design also eliminates the inconvenience and the high cost associated with repairing or upgrading any storage device from any computer equipment.
The object of the present invention is to provide a Console Drive that enables various types of storage devices to be easily swapped in and out of a drive bay of any desktop computers, Kiosk or computing equipment.
This invention provides a design of a Console Drive that enables various types of storage devices to be easily swapped in and out of a drive bay of any desktop computers, Kiosk or computing equipment. Storage devices can be changed on the fly for upgrade, repair or for different applications, without disassembling or reassembling of the equipment enclosure. In addition, the storage device enclosure of the Console Drive also enables any storage device to be used as an external storage device once it is removed from the drive bay. This external storage device can be connected to any computers or equipment via USB, Firewire, PCMCIA or any IO interface (reference to Universal Storage Interface Bus patent). So the Console Drive design adds great flexibility to the connectivity between the storage devices and any computer equipment. Console Drive design also eliminates the inconvenience and the high cost associated with repairing or upgrading any storage device from any computer equipment.